Serve your community, become an Election Official for Albemarle County

The hours are long, the pay is low, but your contribution to democracy is enormous--

Albemarle County assigns as many as 350 Election Officials to serve in 31 precincts.

The qualifications to be an Election Official are:

You must be a registered voter in the Commonwealth of Virginia
You cannot be an elected official or the deputy or employee of an elected official
You must enjoy meeting people and serving the public
You must be able to take direction, pay attention to detail, and not be easily distracted
You must be available to work the entire day on Election Day

Arrive at your assigned polling place at about 5:00 AM and stay until all results have been tabulatedSet up voting equipment and pollbooks
Check in voters on the electronic pollbooksDirect voters to available marking booths
Tally results Secure voting machines and equipmentStay at the polling place until closing (usually no later than 8:30 or 9:00 PM)

Training:

Each Election Official is required to attend training before serving. New officials also attend a basic orientation session in addition to the regular training. All training sessions take place at the 5th Street County office building, on designated evenings prior to each election. Chief and Assistant Chief Election Officials attend an additonal training session and are responsible for picking up election materials, and returning materials to the Registrar's office by 11:30 a.m. on the day following each election.

Frequently asked questions:

Where will I be working? The Electoral Board tries to assign officials to their "home" precinct whenever possible. However, if there are no vacancies at your home precinct, you may be assigned to a nearby precinct. How do I vote if I'm not assigned to my home precinct? You may vote by absentee ballot. You may request that a ballot be mailed to your home, or you may opt to vote in person at the registrar's office. Absentee voting starts approximately 45 days before each election. You may visit our page on Absentee Voting or download an Absentee Ballot Application. You may also call 434-972-4173 to request an application.Will I be paid for being an Election Official? Yes, regular Election Officials are paid $165.00 for working on Election Day, and you are paid $10.00 for attending each training session. Chiefs and Assistants get a bit more for assuming additional responsibilities.